Rick Kirkland Tommy Gilstrap Richard Stratton Stevie Fingers
drums bass guitar and vocals keyboards
all songs by Richard Stratton. Lead guitar on all tracks by Pete Winders. Tenor Sax solo on 'Girl Shy' by Scott Rademacher
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Richard Stratton began his musical journey as a boy soprano in an Episcopal Choir, thus beginning an affiliation with various choirs that would go uninterrupted for 25 years. He took up the guitar at age nine, playing and singing popular music as a soloist and with his own band throughout his elementary school and high school years. At 17 he took up the classical guitar and won a place in the University Of Georgia guitar program under John Sutherland. He composed several short film scores and one full length film score plus a score for a stage production of Tennessee William’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ while earning a Bachelor of Music (cum laude) and a Master of Music in composition. From Athens he went to the University of Iowa for doctoral studies. There he formed The Iowa Guitar Trio and performed occasionally with regional symphonies and various early and new music ensembles, and wrote and produced radio and TV jingles for local and regional advertisers. Now living on Amelia Island in north Florida, Richard plays gigs from Sea Island to St. Augustine as solo guitarist/vocalist, as classical guitarist with his ‘Trio Dolce’ (flute, violin and guitar) and with the Palmetto Catz.
Tommy Gilstrap studied trombone in elementary school then moved on to drums, guitar and keyboard in high school working in a local band. When his bassist quit he took that up and discovered his primary instrument. In 1970 he played bass on his first label release by “Felt” of which all members were still teenagers. That album is now a collectors item bringing up to $500 a disc. Tommy has played shows with Mary Wells (My Guy), Cecil Womack, Eddie Floyd (Knock on Wood), O.V.Wright and has opened for Archie Bell and the Drells (Tighten Up), Kenny Rogers and B.J.Thomas (Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head). He was also bandleader of the group “Cor” of which Pam Tillis was a member. Later he worked in Nashville doing freelance studio work for RCA/Free Flight and as staff studio bassist for Tree International Music Publishing. Currently he lives in Orange Park Florida and is the first call bassist for several area bands and recording studios.
Rick Kirkland, the founder and musical director of the Rick Kirkland Orchestra, was the drummer and a featured soloist with the Ray Charles Show during the 1980’s and has performed with Benny Goodman, Della Reese, Diane Schuur, Chet Atkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Doc Severinsen, Glen Campbell, Mickey Gilley, Dottie West, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Lionel Hampton, Lou Rawls, Diahann Carroll, Shirley Jones, Englebert Humperdink, Joe Cocker, The Ink Spots, The Four Freshman, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Red Skelton, George Burns, Bob Newhart, Freddie Hubbard, Louie Bellson, EShaughnessy, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs, Milt Hinton, Ross Thompkins, Marian McPartland, Keter Betts, Major Holley, Herbie Mann....In addition to performing with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Rick is in constant demand as a free-lance concert and studio musician. As an educator, Rick has inspired generations of north Florida performers and instructors, serving as artist-in-residence at several Jacksonville area schools and universities.
Stevie ‘Fingers’ Saracson is a keyboardist/accordionist/vocalist who has been in the music business for over 35 years. He earned a Bachelor of Music (cum laude) from Jacksonville University and has worked with Teddy Washington (James Brown band alumnus), Steve Popovich (A&R Columbia Records,President Cleveland International Records), Little Anthony, The Drifters, and The Platters. He is also a composer, arranger and studio musician with several CDs in his catalogue. He currently works as a soloist and as a leader or member of several Jacksonville Florida area bands playing many styles of music. He is planning to record a CD of his original tunes soon and loves touring.
Pete Winders picked up the guitar at the age of twelve and enjoyed a storied high school career banging his head in Hair Metal bands. Having sought higher education at the University of South Florida, Duke University, and Boston’s Berklee School of Music, he then took the opportunity to study with renowned Jazz educator Jack Petersen at the University of North Florida. There, he played with such artists as Pat Metheny, James Moody, Clark Terry, and Eliane Elias, and earned his degree in Jazz Performance in 1992. He has performed multiple times at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival with Teddy Washington (James Brown band alumnus) and the UNF Big Band. As an in-demand freelance guitarist, Pete has performed and recorded with many Rock, Caribbean, and Jazz acts during his 20 years in the Jacksonville Florida area.
Pete currently tours worldwide with Donavon Frankenreiter (http://www.donavonf.com/home/), and has opened for Ben Harper, Neil Young and Dave Matthews Band. He also plays in the Jacksonville Florida band '3' and teaches at Wehner's School Of The Arts http://suzukitalent.com